Composite Anionic-Cationic-Nonionic Surfactant for Oil Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surfactants used in tertiary oil recovery suffer from poor interfacial activity, complexity in composition, inorganic alkali-related corrosion, and instability at elevated temperatures and high salinity, leading to reduced oil displacement efficiency and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
Development of a novel anionic-cationic-nonionic surfactant with specific molecular structures and production processes that enhance interfacial activity, stability, and compatibility with high temperatures and salinity, eliminating the need for inorganic alkali and simplifying the flooding fluid composition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional surfactants are used in tertiary oil recovery, then the flooding fluid can be produced, but the interfacial activity is poor leading to lower oil displacement efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactant components into a single composite surfactant molecule. This composite structure integrates the advantages of each surfactant type: anionic surfactants provide good water solubility and foam stability, cationic surfactants offer excellent interfacial activity and oil wetting capability, and nonionic surfactants contribute to thermal stability and tolerance to high salinity. The resulting composite surfactant achieves superior overall performance in oil displacement efficiency compared to conventional single-type surfactants.
2Ease of manufacture
If prior art surfactant composition is used, then flooding fluid can be produced, but the composition is over-complicated making demulsification and produced water treatment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple surfactant functionalities into a single composite surfactant molecule rather than using separate anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactant components. This consolidation simplifies the overall composition of the flooding fluid from multiple complex surfactant blends to a single well-defined composite surfactant structure, thereby facilitating easier demulsification and produced water treatment while maintaining the desired interfacial activity and oil displacement efficiency.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If inorganic alkali is included in the flooding fluid, then the formulation is complete, but it causes corrosion of equipments and pipings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the inorganic alkali component from the traditional flooding fluid formulation. Instead of relying on inorganic alkali to achieve the desired chemical effects, the invention uses organic alkali groups (such as quaternary ammonium groups) integrated into the composite surfactant structure. This extraction removes the harmful corrosion effect on equipment and piping while maintaining the necessary formulation functionality for effective oil recovery.
4Quantity of substance
If inorganic alkali is used to achieve predetermined viscosity, then viscosity level is reached, but a relatively higher amount of polymer must be used increasing overall cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the inorganic alkali component from the system. By eliminating inorganic alkali, the negative effect on polymer viscosity is removed, allowing for reduced polymer dosage to achieve the same viscosity target. This extraction not only lowers the overall cost but also avoids the corrosion issues associated with inorganic alkali while maintaining effective flooding fluid performance.
5Stability of the object's composition
If prior art surfactant is used, then the formulation is simple, but it shows poor tolerance to elevated temperatures and high salinity leading to precipitation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by integrating anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactant moieties into a single composite surfactant structure. The nonionic portion of the composite provides excellent tolerance to elevated temperatures and high salinity conditions, preventing precipitation. The anionic and cationic portions maintain interfacial activity and oil wetting capability. This composite architecture achieves both simplicity of formulation and superior adaptability to harsh reservoir conditions simultaneously.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The novel surfactant achieves improved oil displacement efficiency, stability, and reduced corrosion, enhancing oil recovery while maintaining chemical stability and avoiding chromatographic fractionation issues.
Implementation Method 1
The CEOR technology makes use of the combination of a physical and chemical effects, wherein the chemical action mainly resides in reducing the interfacial tension between a flooding fluid and crude oil. A surfactant contains both lipophilic (hydrophobic) and hydrophilic (lipophobic) segments, when dissolved into water, mainly adsorbed at the oil-water interface, whereby significantly reducing the oil-water interfacial tension (IFT). The reduction in the oil-water interfacial tension leads to the increase of capillary number
Implementation Method 2
A surfactant contains both lipophilic (hydrophobic) and hydrophilic (lipophobic) segments, when dissolved into water, mainly adsorbed at the oil-water interface
Data Source
AI summary
An anionic-cationic-nonionic surfactant represented by the formula (I)exhibits significantly improved interfacial activity and stability as compared with the prior art. With the present anionic-cationic-nonionic surfactant, a flooding fluid composition for tertiary oil recovery with improved oil displacement efficiency and oil washing capability as compared with the prior art could be produced.